Author: Michael Stevens

The current flooding on the other side of the mountains is due to an “atmospheric river” comprised of one wet storm after another. It is also unseasonably warm, so the snow that fell last...

As I write this, the first snow of the season is falling as a gentle swirl of fluffy white crystals. This brings to mind images of dancing dakinis, the element of water doing pirouettes...

Lama Rinchen always says the true teachings are “free from the game of words.” He is referring to the fact that the conceptual mind, although helpful in studying the relative teachings, cannot comprehend the...

I was listening to a report on the war between Israel and Hamas/Palestinians. The reporter indicated some political entities thought there should be war crime charges levied toward Israel and/or Hamas. I thought this...

Having recovered from a rather brutal experience with that rascal Covid, the world is somehow different. Everything seems more vibrant, alive. I realize this is just a symptom of moving through a bardo, an...

One of the autumnal practices I enjoy while wandering the desert is identifying wildflower species when they are dried up and in seed. This is more difficult as botanical keys mostly have pictures of...

So many seeds! Sow many seeds? The desert is awash with golden to brownish-yellow seed heads on rabbit brush, sage, buckwheat, yarrow, and many other species. It is a panorama of fuzzy, knobby, and...

Autumn in the desert is missed by many people because the color palette is more subtle than the vibrant orange and red of moister deciduous forests. For us desert rats, however, we revel in...

Thoughts are cloud-like in that they cannot be grasped and held in place. But, like clouds, they can cast a shadow on the landscape of the mind. I am gazing out the window of...

I and some family members are in a small town located in far eastern Tennessee where the annual Apple Festival is underway. Parking is impossible. Were it not for the citizens offering their yards...